Switch



March 10, 1931. E, N. JACOB] 1,795,950

SWITCH Original Filed June 11, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l w/ TNES SE5 N A 7' TORNEY E. N. JACOBI March 10, 1931.

SWITCH Original Filed June 11, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNE Y W/TNES-SES WM I 2,

Patented Mar. 10, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT oFmcs EDWARD N. JACOIBI, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOE TO BRIGGS & STBATTON CORPORATION, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION 01 DELAWARE SWITCH Original. application died June 11, 1928, Serial No. 844,879. Divided and thin application died September 20, 1929. Serial No. 898,940.

This invention relates to switches and has for its object to provide switches for controlling lighting and ignition circuits of automo biles and the like and the purpose is to $1111- plify the construction of such switches, making them inexpensive to manufacture as well as strong and durable in use and readily accessible for repairs when necessary.

This application constitutes a division of my application for automobile switch and instrument panels, Serial No. 644,67 9, filed June 11, 1923. I

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the switch as herein claimed, its parts and combination of parts, and all equivalents.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

in which like characters of reference indicate the same parts in different views,

Fig. 1 is a front view of a lighting switch embodying the invention and Fig. 2 is a rear view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a front view of an ignition switch and Fig. 4 a rear view thereof;

Fig. 5 is a central sectional view through one of the switches;

Fig. 6 is a rear view of one of the switches with parts removed to the locking nut;

Fig. 7 is asimilar view showing the stop notch 35 with a flange 36. T

plate in position; Fig. 8 is an inside view ofone of the terminal heads with the contact member and.

driver in position;

Fig. 9 is a sectionalview thereof without the driver;

Fig. 10 is a rear view of the contact member, and v Fig. 11 is a sectional view through the switch handle bushing showing the engagements of the locln'ng plate.

In these drawings, 24 indicates a base casting forming a panel on which is mounted a glass front 27 held in place by a rim or bezel 20. a

Openings are drilled through the glass to receive flanged tubular bushings 29 for light-- ing and ignition switch handles 30 and 31 1 respectively, said bushings also fitting within flanged openings in the base castings 24, where they are held by lock nuts 32 threaded shoulders and the flanges around the openlngs of the base casting, as shown in Fig. 5,

to make a tight fit without undue stress on the glass, and the adjustments of the lock nuts 32 for maintaining the clamping engagement are retained by means of lock plates 34. Each of these lock plates 34, as shown in Fig. 11, is anchored a ainst turning by having notches 35 in its edge to engage one or another of a series of longitudinally extending flanges 36 projecting i'nwardly from the wall of the switch case 33. At the same time this lock plate anchors the bushing 29 so that it is incapable of turning, the oval shaped opening in said lock plate having an inwardly extending lug 37 to engage in an openin 38 in said bushing, as seen in Figs. 5 an 11. In assembling, the lock plate, because of the elongation of its opening, may be passed over the end of the bushing and then with its lug 37 registering with the opening 38 it may be forced upwardly to effect their engagement, the same movement efiecting the engagement of a y en the lock nut is turned on the end of the bushing to effect the desired clamping of the glass front and incidentally serv ng to clamp the lock plate in place. When this adjustment is effected the lock nut is locked against displacement by bending into one of its peripheral notches 39 one or more of the locking fingers 40 which are bent up from the edge of the look ing plate and are so spaced that one or another will be convenient for such engagement in any position of the locking nut. In this manner the bushing is prevented from turning" by anchoring it to the base casting, the glass is clamped around the bushing to the desired degree toefi'ect a tight connection without undue stress, and the clamping adprovision is made for passing the switch handles through the glass front.

The construction of the lighting and ignition switches is substantially the same, except for the range of movement being greater with the lighting switch. The range of movement is determined by a stop plate 62 mounted on the stem of the switch handle and having oppositely extending stop lugs to engagethe flanges 36 previousl mentioned. The end of the stem of the switch handle has a central bore and is slotted with the slot through one wall slightly wider than the slot through the other wall, and openings in the stop plate match with the sectional shape of the slotted bored handle stem, as shown in Fig. 7. A screw 63 in the bore of the stem secures the stop plate to the unslotted portion of the stem, as seen in Fig. 5. This manner of mounting the stop plate on the stem makes it incapable of turning thereon so that when the lugs strike the flanges 36 the handle 15 incapable of turning further. It Wlll be noted that for modifying the switch for different purposes the range of movement may be increased by removing one or more of the flanges 36.

The contacting portions of the switch are self-contained, that is they constitute an inrespondingly shaped flanged edges of a metal contact ring 67, whose corresponding radially extending projections are recessed to fit the rivet heads of contact studs, 68 arranged in a circle on the terminal head 64 around the pivot post.

A U-shaped sheet metal driver 69 is pivotally mounted on the pivot post and bears against the rivet head thereof and one of its legs is wider than the other to correspond with the width of the slots in the switch handle stem and assure pro er assembly therewith, for these parts of t e driver are contained within the slots of the handle stem when assembled, as shown in Fig. 8, anditheir ends pass through openings in the insulating plate 66 without contacting with the contact ring. The turning movements of the switch handle are therefore communicated to the driver and through tion of the driver in the slots of the handle in said contact ring in engagement with the I heads of the studs to serve as detents for holding the switch in its operative positions. The contact studs 68 serve as rivets for attaching angular binding posts 71 arranged and marked for the various wiring connections to establish the desired switch connections in the various positions of the switch handles. The terminal heads 64 are secured to the ends of the switch housings 33 by means of screws 72, and in addition thereto positioning lugs 7 3 on the edge of the switch ousing enter openings 74 in the terminal heads assuring proper assembly..

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a switch, an insulating terminal head, a pivot post mountedthereon, a U- shaped driver rotatably mounted on the pivot post,'an insulating disk rot'atably and-slidably mounted on the pivot post and having openings to receive the ends of the driver, a coiled spring surrounding the pivot post and bearing on the insulating disk and on the driver, said insulating disk having radially extending arms, a contact ring mounted on the insulating disk by having its edges bent up around said disk and the arms thereof and having contact projections 'with waved contact surfaces at the radial arms of the insulating disk, contact studs on the terminal head engaged by said contact surfaces of the contact ring, binding posts connectedwith the contact studs, and means for turning the driver.

2. In a switch, a base, a glass front, a flanged bushing passing-through an opening 1n the glass front and through an'opening in the base, a nut threaded on the bushing, means for locking the nut and for preventing the bushing from turning, and a switch on the base having a handle passing through the bushing.

3. In a switch, a base forming a switch housing, a glass front, a shouldered bushing to fit the flange, a nut threaded on the bushmg against the lock plate and provided with notches in its edge, an car on the lock plate bent into one of the notches of the nut for locking it, and a switch in the switch housing having a handle passing through the bushing.

4. In a switch, a base, a glass front, a shouldered bushing passing through the glass front and the base, a switch handle fitting in the bushing, a suitably locked adjusting nut on the bushing, a switch housing on the base around the end of the switch handle, a stop plate secured to the switch handle, a projection on the switch housing engaged by the stop plate, and a switch member operated by the switch handle.

5. In a switch, a base, a glass front, a switch handle passing through the glass front and the base, a switch housing formed on the base around the end of the switch handle, a terminal head secured to the end of the switch housing, contact studs mounted on the terminal head, a pivot post mounted on the terminal head, a driver mounted on the pivot post and having slidable driving connection with the end of the switch handle, a spring pressed insulating member slidably and rotatably mounted on the pivot post and having driving connection with the driver, and a contact member carried by the insulating member and engaging the contact studs.

6. A switch comprising a base, a glass front, a shouldered ushing passing through the glass front and the base, a nut threaded thereon, a switch housing on the base around the end of the switch handle, a flange therein,

- said end of the switch handle being slotted,

a stop plate secured in the slot of the switch handle and engaging the flange of the switch case for limiting the movements of the switch handle, an insulating terminal head secured to the end of the switch housing, contact studs carried thereby, a central pivot post on the terminal head, a driver pivotally mounted on the pivot post and slidably fitting in the slot of the switch handle, a springpressed insulating member slidably and rotatably mounted on the pivot post and having a driving engagement with the driver, and contact means carried by the insulating member for engaging the contact studs.

, 7 In a switch, an insulating terminal head, a pivot post mounted thereon, a driver rotatably mounted on the pivot 0st, an insulating member rotatably and sli ably mounted on the pivot post and splined with the driver, a spring bearing on the insulating member, a contact member mounted on the insulating member, contacts on the terminal head engaged by the contact member and forming an undulating bearing therefor causing relative movement between the contact member and the driver, and means for turning the driver.

8. In a switch, an' insulating terminal head, a suitably mounted driver, an insulating member operatively engaged by the driver, pressure means for moving the insuby the contact projections, and means for W turning the driver. 7

9. In a switch, an insulatlng term nal head, a pivot post mounted thereon, a swltch handle, a driver rotatably mounted on the pivot post and splined with the switch handle, a spring-pressed switch member splined on the driver and insulated therefrom, and contacts on the terminal head engaged by the switch member.

10. In a switch, an insulating terminal head, a headed pivot post mounted thereon,

an insulating member rotatably and slidably mounted on the pivot post, a driver rotatably mounted on the pivot post and bearing on the head thereof and splined with the insulating member, a coiled spring surrounding the pivot post between the insulating member and the driver, a contact member mounted on the insulating member, contacts on the terminal head engaged by the contact member causing relative movement between the contact member and the driver, and means for turning the driver. Y

11. In a switch, an insulating terminal head, a pivot post thereon, a driver rotatably mounted on the pivot post, a spring-pressed insulated switch member rotatably and slidably mounted on the ,pivot post and splined on the driver, and contacts on the terminal head engaged by the switch member and forming an undulating bearing therefor causing relative movement between the switch member and the driver.

In testimony whereof, I afiix mv si nature.

EDWARD N. JA OBI. 

